Paint spray machine



May 11, 1948.

E. o. NORRIS 2,441,327

PAINT SPRAY MACHINE Filed June 29, 1945 3 Sheets-Sheet l O T 969 I 92 94 INVE O r [dlwz /Zfawj 94 BY I 95 9b 93 TORNEY y 1948- E. o. NORRIS 2,441,327

PAINT SPRAY MACHINE INVENT R Edwar'dd. arr'lfi' ATTORNEY Patented May 11, 1948 9 Claims. (c1. ass-cs) This invention relates to' centrifugal spraying devices and more particularly to a light weight, portable sprayer suitable for spraying paint or other liquids onto a surface.

An object is to provide a simple, compact, light weight device of the above type which is suited to general use by relatively unskilled labor or by amateur painters.

Another object is to provide a painting device having novel and improved features of construction and operating characteristics.

Various other objects and advantages will be apparent as the nature of the invention is more fully disclosed.

In accordance with the present invention, I provide a centrifugal distributor having a plurality of annular passages through which the liquid is ejectedand arranged to provide a uniform spray of substantial thickness. I

The liquid to be sprayed is held in a closed supply reservoir located above the level of the distributor and flows to the distributor by gravity.

A stationary, casing surrounds the distributor and is provided with an opening of adjustable width through which the spray passes. The liduid intercepted and collected b the casing flows by gravity to a receiver located below the level of the distributor. The reservoir is provided with an air vent which is arranged to be cut off by the rising level of the liquid in the receiver so as to interrupt the feed when the receiver is filled to its capacity. The collected liquid is then returned from the receiver to the supply reservoir by inverting the device for an instant. In normal use this occurs automatically at frequent intervals as the device is laid down or the hand is lowered between spray shots.

The invention further provides a releasable shield over the front of the distributor which is controlled by the operating trigger to prevent drip r drift of spray when the supply is interrupted, thereby providing a sharp cut-off and accurate control.

A motor driven fan is also provided to draw derstood'byreferring to the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings in which a specific embodiment thereof has been set forth for purposes of illustration.

' In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation partly in section taken on the line |-i of Fig. 2 showing a spraying device embodying the present invention; Fig. 2 is a section taken on the line 2-2 of 4 Fig.

Fig. 3 is a detail view of the control linkage for the feed and shield;

. Fig. 4 is a central vertical section through the a receiver and a portion of the reservoir withthe centrifugal distributor removed; 1

Fig. 5 is a side elevation of the driving motor, fan and distributor removed from the casing;

Fig. 6 is a section taken on the line 6-6 of Fig. 5; and

Fig. 7 is a top plan view of the distributor.

Referring first to Figs. 1 and 4, the spraying I device is shown as comprising a housing I0 having an intermediate partition ll dividing the. housing into an upper supply reservoir I2 and a lower receiver l4, A filler cap l5, shown as threaded, is provided at the upper part of the housing ID to register with a filler opening [6 'through which the reservoir is filled. A gasket 2| is provided for making a tight seal.

The partition II is provided with an opening 22 communicating with a conical spout or feed means 23 having an aperture 20 by means of which the liquid is supplied to a centrifugal distributor 24 (Figs. 1 and 5). The opening 22 is closed by a valve 25 which is actuated by a lever 26 pivoted to a shaft 21 which carrles'an arm 28 (Fig. 3). connected by a pin 29 to a link 30. The pin 29 engages an elongated slot in the link 30 which provide lost motion for the purpose to be described.

The link 30 is adjustably secured to a lever 3! which is pivoted to the housing In and is provided with a finger control handle or trigger 32 controlling the normal position of the link. A

spring 35 holds the valve 25 in closed position.

Adistributor chamber '40 (Figs. 1 and 4) is formed in the receiver between the partition the partition 4| adjacent the transverse "partition 42 is provided with a discharge opening 45 (Figs. 1 and 2) through which liquid which is collected in the distributor chamber 40 flows into the receiver l4. The opening 48 is preferably cated at one side of the chamber 40 as shown in Fig. 2. Y

The front of the housing between the partitions H and 4| is provided with a spray opening deat opposite sides of the opening to slide in channels formed by flanges -54 secured to the lower partition 4| and flanges 55 secured to the upper partition ll. Control handles '58 and I! are attached to the slides 52 and I2. respectively, and project beyond the front of the housing "into an accessible position. These control handles are 7 arranged to flare outwardly at about the spray angle and, in their retracted position, to lie against the intumed flanges Ill and iii 01" the housing.

A return and vent passage, shown as a tube 60, is providedfor returning the liquid from the receiver I4 to the supply reservoir l2. This tube 60 communicates with an opening il in the partition i l which is located at the side or the receiver opposite the opening 45. The tube ill extends to the upper part of the reservoir I2 at a point above the normal liquid level in the reservoir and removed from the flller opening I 8 so that the'liqe uid does not enter the tube 60 when the reservoir is being filled through the opening it. The tube 64 serves both as an air vent for the reservoir 12 and as a return passage for the liquid as will be described.

Reierring now to Figs. 1. and 5, the centrifugal distributor 24 is shown as comprising a plurality of superposed irustro-conical rings 65 having peripheral upturned lips 66. These rings 84 are stacked and secured by means of spacing posts 61 to a conical ring member III which is mounted ing and screen 14 and to discharge the same downwardly through a fan housing 18, then around baiiies l9 and 80 and into the atmosphere above the motor 12. The screens 14 provide a rotating swiace which impels the liquid outwardly and prevents the liquid from being drawn downwardly with the air flow induced by the impeller. The housing 18 is spaced from the motor '12 by struts 8| to provide an air discharge opening and carries a band 84 which fits within the lip 44 of the housing'ili. The housing 18 is provided with threads or to engage a threaded flange 83 carried on the housing l0.

A shield 85 (Figs. 1 and 2) extends around the distributor 24 and between the distributor and the spray opening and is attached to it FOG a which is pivoted in the housing II and carries an actuating cam 81 (Fig. 3) having a shoulder ll which is positioned to engage a shoulder ll formed on the link 30. The spring it normally holds the shoulder as against the shoulder ll oi the cam 81 to hold the shield 85 in position to intercept any spray being ejected from the distributor as indicated in Fig. 1. When the handle 32 is actuated toward the motor 12 the link III is moved to the right as shown in Fig. 3, allowing the shield 85 to drop by gravity and also opening the valve 2!. Release of the handle 32 allows the spring to return the link 30 to its original position, closing the valve 25 and raising the shield 85 to cut-cu position." The lost motion pin and slot connection 29 permits the shield 85 to drop before the valve 25 opens and also allows the valve 25 to close before the shield 85 is elevated. The shield 85 also fails to cut off position by gravity if the machine should be tilted to an angle such that normal gravity feed oi liquid to the distributor does not take place.

The motor 12 is provided with a housing of suitable size to provide a handle and support for the device so that in normal operation the device is held by grasping the motor housing in the hand with the handle 32 in a position to be actuated by the fingers.

The motor is or standard construction and is designed to drawcooling air upwardly into its housing due to its rotation. In order to prevent dust from being drawn into the motor 12 with the cooling air, the motor housing is extended to providea circular casing 90 which is adapted to receive a filter pad 8| which may be supported by screens 92 and 83' located on opposite sides thereof. The screen 92 is shown seated against a flange 8 formed on the interior 0! the casing 90 and the screen 93 is positioned by'a split ring 95 which is secured in an annular recess 98 formed in the casing 80. In this way the fllter material ti can be readily removed for cleaning or replacement. The casing 90 may be removably attached to the motor housing as by bayonet slots 81 (P18. 5).

In the operation of this device, the reservoir 12 is first filled with the liquid to be sprayed by removing the flller cap l5. when this filler cap is replaced, the reservoir i2 is closed except for the outlet passage 22 through which the liquid is supplied to the centrifugal distributor 24 and the air vent which includes the tube 60, the opening iii, the receiver M, the opening 45, the distributor chamber and the spray opening in the housing It. The valve 25 is normally held closed by the spring 35 and the shield 85 is normally held in elevated position in alignment with the distributor to prevent ejection of the liquid through the spray opening. For spraying, the motor is started and the handle 32 is actuated toward the motor 12, thereby releasing the shield 85 and allowing it to drop out of registration with the distributor and also opening the valve 25 an amount sufllcient to allow liquid to flow from the reservoir l2 through the discharge opening 22 into the distributor 24. The amount of liquid flow may be controlled by varying the position of the handle -32 to correspondingly vary the elevation of the valve member 25 and the opening therebeneath into the discharge passage 22. The rapidly rotating distributor 24 ejects the liquid in the form of a spray around the entire periphery thereof. It will be noted that the upwardly inclined outer flanges 88 of the distributor rings intercept any liquid which may tend to pass directly through the passages between the rings and thereby causes all portions of the liquid to contact with a rotating surface before being ejected.

A portion of the. spray passes through the spray opening as indicated inF'ig. 2, the remainder being caught in the distributor chamber and flowing downwardly along the sloping partition ll and through the opening 4-! into the receiver 14. This action continues until the level of the liquid in the receiver H rises sufficiently to cut on the opening 45 and thereby prevents further entrance of air into the reservoir II. when this occurs the air pressure in the reservoir l2 becomes insufllcicnt to cause further flow of liquid through the opening 22 and the spray ceases, thereby indicating that the receiver II has been filled with the collected liquid. The receiver I4 is then emptied by tilting the device over on its side far enough to permit the liquid to now through the opening SI and tube In into the reservoir l2. Of course the handle 32 should be pulled toward the motor I2 while the machine is inverted so as to open the valve 25 and permit passage of air. However, no liquid will be sprayed because the shield 85 falls into shutoil position. When the'liquid has thus been returned from the receiver l4 into the reservoir I! the device is ready for further operation.

In normal operation the device is laid down or the hand lowered between spray shots at sufllciently frequent intervals to take care of the return of the liquid from the receiver I4 to the reservoir i2 automatically.

When it is desired to. stop the spray, the handie 32 is released, whereupon the spring 355 rotates the shaft 2'! to close the valve 25 and re tracts the link 30, bringing the shoulder 89 of the link 30 into engagement with the shoulder as of this cam 81 and rotating the cam 81 to restore the shield 85 to its cut-off position. It will be noted that when the cam 87 is released by actuation of the handle 32 the cam only rotates a limited amount as the housing It serves as a stop to limit the movement of the shield 85. Hence the shoulders 88 and 89 remain in registration regardless of the amount of movement of the link 38 after the cam all has been released. The lost motion connection permits the valve 25 to close first so that the liquid in the distributor 28 may be ejected therefrom before the shield 85 is brought into intercepting position. Thereafter no further emission of spray is possible even though the valve 25 should fail to close tightly.

The width of the spray may be adjusted by varying the position of the slides 52 and 53 by means of the handles 56 and 51. The spray may thus be varied from a maximum width to a narrow stripe, as may be required for the particular operation in hand.

It will be noted that the above device is gravity fed and that the unused liquid is likewise returned by gravity to the reservoir, thereby eliminating all mechanical feed mechanisms. Furthermore, the device is capable of operation at any angle at which flow of liquid may be had from the reservoir it through the supply passage 22. At other angles, such as when the device is inverted for returning the liquid'from the receiver H, the shield 85 automatically falls to the out-ofi position, thereby preventing accidental ejection of spray.

The fans 16 and I1 aid in obtaining a clean spray by removing the fine particles therefrom.

- 6 It is to be understood. however, that if this feature is not required, the fan mechanism may be omitted. and the motor 12 mounted directly within the housing 18. In that event. the motor 12 of Fig. 1 will be replaced by an operating handle.

While in normal position, the liquid flows down the inclined partition 4| and through the opening 45 into the receiver H, the inturned flanges l8 and 49 prevent any liquid collected within the distributor chamber from flowing outwardly through the spray opening when the device is inclined in other positions.

Although a specific embodiment of the invention has been shown for purposes of illustration, it will be understood that the invention is capable of various uses and that suitable changes and modifications may be made therein as will be readily apparent to a person skilled in the art. The invention is only to be restricted in. accordance with the scope of. the following claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A centrifugal spraying device comprising a centrifugal distributor. a closed liquid reservoir mounted above said distributor, gravity feed means including a port in said reservoir connected to supply liquid for spraying to said distributor, a casing surrounding said distributor to intercept and collect the liquid ejected therefrom and having a spray opening to pass a selected portion of the spray, a receiver mounted below said distributor, said casing having an opening positioned to drain the collected liquid by gravity into said receiver, and a passage extending from the top of said receiver to a point above the liquid level in said reservoir forthe gravity return of liquid from said receiver to said reservoir when the device is inverted.

2. A centrifugal spraying device comprising a centrifugal distributor. a closed liquid reservoir mounted above said distributor, gravity feed means including a port in said reservoir connected to supply liquid for spraying to said distributor. a casing surrounding said distributor to intercept and collect the liquid ejected therefrom and having a spray opening to pass a selected portion of the spray, a receiver mounted below said distributor, a passage extending from the top of said receiver to a point above the liquid level in said reservoir, said casing having an Opening into said receiver below the level of said dis tributor to drain the collected liquid by gravity into said receiver, said opening being positioned to be closed by the liquid in said receiver to prevent further passage of air into said reservoir and thereby interrupt further gravity flow of liquid to said distributor when the liquid level reaches said opening. said passage being positioned tor the return flow of liquid from said receiver to said reservoir by gravity when said device is inverted.

3. A centrifugal spraying device comprising a centrifugal distributor, a closed liquid reservoir mounted above said distributor, gravity feed means including a port in said reservoir connected to supply liquid for spraying to said distributor, a casing surrounding said distributor to intercept and collect the liquid ejected therefrom and having a spray opening to pass a selected portion of the spray, a receiver mounted below said distributor, a passage extending from one side of said receiver to a point above the liquid level in said reservoir for the passage of air to said reservoir while spraying and for the return of liquid by gravity to said reservoir when the device is inverted, said casing having an opening into said receiver below the level or said distributor and on the opposite side from said passage to drain the collected liquid by gravity into said receiver said opening being positioned to be closed by the liquid in said receiver, to prevent further passage of air into said reservoir and thereby interrupt further gravity flow of liquid to said distributor when the liquid level reaches said opening.

4. A centrifugal spraying device comprising a centrifugal distributor, a closed liquid reservoir mounted above said distributor, gravity feed means including a port in said reservoir connected to supply liquid for spraying to said distributor, a casing surrounding said distributor to intercept and collect the liquid ejected therefrom and having a spray opening to pass a selected portion of the spray, a receiver mounted below said distributor, a passage extending from one side of said receiver to a point above the liquid level in said reservoir for the passage of air to said reservoir while spraying and for the return of liquid by gravity to said reservoir when the device is inverted, said casing having an opening into said receiver below the level of said distributor and spaced laterally from said passage to drain the collected liquid by gravity into said receiver, said opening being positioned to be closed by the liquid in said receiver to prevent further passage of air into said reservoir and thereby interrupt further gravity flow of liquid to said distributor, a control valve for said port, and manual actuating means for said valve.

5. A centrifugal spraying device comprising a centrifugal distributor, a liquid reservoir mounted above said distributor, gravity feed means including a port in said reservoir connected to supply liquid for spraying to said distributor, a casing surrounding said distributor to intercept and collectthe liquid ejected therefrom and having a spray opening to pass a selected portion of the spray, a closed receiver mounted below said distrlbutor, said casing having an opening positioned to drain the collected liquid by gravity into said receiver, connections between said receiver and said reservoir having means for the return of liquid from said receiver to said reservoir, a housing in said receiver extending axially from said distributor, said housing being sealed to said receiver to form a closed annular chamber for retaining the liquid drained into said receiver from said casing and being open to the atmosphere at the bottom of said receiver, impeller means in said housing beyond the distributor in the direction of air flow driven with said distributor and directed to draw air around said distributor through said spray opening counter to the flow of spray for removing the fine particles from the spray and to discharge the same downwardly through said housing to the atmosphere.

6. A centrifugal spraying device comprising a centrifugal distributor, a casing having a spray opening through which a selected portion of the spray from said distributor passes, a shieldinterposed between said distributor and said opening, means pivotally supporting said shield to fall by gravity to retracted position for spraying, spring means holding said shield in elevated position to intercept said spray, and a manual control member connected to release said spring means.

7. A centrifugal spraying device comprising a centrifugal distributor, feed means to supply liquid thereto for spraying, a control member for said feed means, a casing having a spray opening through which a selected portion of the spray from said distributor passes, a retractable shield interposed between said distributor and said spray opening, a manual control lever, and linkage means connecting said lever to actuate both said feed control member and said shield for controlling the emission of spray.

8. A centrifugal spraying device comprising a centrifugal distributor, feed means to supply liquid thereto for spraying, a control member for saidfeed means, a casing having a spray opening through which a selected portion of the spray from said distributor passes. a retractable shield interposed between said distributor and said spray opening, a manual control lever, and linkage means connecting said lever to actuate both said feed control member and said shield for controlling the emission of spray, said linkage means having a lost motion connection to said control member adapted to cause said shield to be retracted first for spraying and said feed control member to interrupt the feed by said feed means first when the spraying operation is interrupted.

9. A centrifugal spraying device comprising a centrifugal distributor, a casing having a spray opening through which a selected portion of the spray from said distributor passes, means forming an air passage extending from said opening around said distributor and open at its discharge end to the atmosphere, and impeller means positioned in said passage beyond the distributor in the direction of air fiow to draw air inwardly around the distributor and through said spray opening counter to the flow of spray for removing the fine particles from the spra and to discharge the air through the discharge end of said passage into the atmosphere.

EDWARD 0. NORRIS.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 829,261 Feld Aug. 21, 1906 888,091 Kestner May 19, 1903 1,439,319 Mills Dec. 19, 1922 1,488,356 Linke Mar. 25, 1924 1,608,295 Helmer Nov. 9, 1926 1,647,918 Kreuder Nov. 1, 1927 1,682,615 Holmes et al Aug. 28, 1928 1,796,982 Cutler Mar. 17, 1931 1,859,770 I-fleisher May 24, 1932 1,978,007 Anthony, Jr. Oct. 23, 1934 2,023,710 St. Onge Dec. 10, 1935 2,063,048 Norris Dec. 8, 1936 2,084,621 Norris June 22, 1937 2,086,921 Norris July 13, 1937 2,099,988 Norris Nov. 23, 1937 

